Container carrier

ABSTRACT

A carrier for one or more substantially cylindrical containers of the type having a lip or peripheral engagement comprises a sheet-form blank composed of transversely rigid, somewhat elastic and flexible material having container-gripping strap portions disposed in circular arrangements corresponding in diameter to a circumference of the container to be gripped or carried and also having handle strap portions formed to provide convenient, manually engageable handles for the container.

United States Patent 1 1111 3,709,544 Oltmanns [4 1 Jan. 9, 1973 [s41 CONTAINER CARRIER 1,539,201 5/1925 Ottow ..294 31.2 1. Inveflion Eerieiifiifiafifiifchibigoi i'iil'i 311322 13352211111111...........iiziiiiiiiaazyii?i [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1971 Primary Eiaminer-Drayton E. Hoffman Assistant Examiner-Jerold M.. Forsberg [21] Appl Attorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson 52] US. Cl ..294/31.2, 224 45 D, 294/872, ABSTRACT Int Cl 215/100 A carrier for one or more substantially cylindrical 5s 1 Field of Search ..224/45 0, 55, 58,49, 45 R, ggggjg'gj'f gg f g f g'i lg gg fifig gjjjgg '224/45 P 45 Q 45 AB 45 BA' 294/31.2' a p 215 100 20 1 transversely rigid, somewhat elastic and flexible I 2 /94 229/52 206/65 C material having container-gripping strap portions disposed in circular arrangements corresponding in [561 Bahamas Cited diameter to a circumference of the container to' be UNITED STATES PATENTS gripped or carried'and also haying handle strap port1ons formed to provide convenient, manually engage- 2,896,779 7/l959 Armel ..206/65 C able handles for the container, 3,482,867 12/1969 Allen 1. 294/31.2X 1,146,334 7/1915 Lehman et a1 ..294/31.2 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures cg," /o

W 69 M Z/ zz --1 r-,' 1

- container-gripping CONTAINER CARRIER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a container or article carrier, and more particularly refers to container carrier blanks deflectable into a configuration capable of supporting substantial axial loads and attachable to containers of the type having a peripheral lip or enlargement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a carrier handle for a cylindrical containers of the type having peripheral enlargements or lip portions, for example coffee cans, paint cans and similar containers. The carrier of the present invention may be attached to the container subsequent to exhausting product ordinarily contained therein for converting the empty container into a convenient portable carrier for tools, miscellaneous items and the like. Further, a properly sized container carrier may be conveniently attached to standard cans or containers, for example one-quart size paint cans which normally do not include a handle, thereby enabling convenient transport of the can to facilitate use of the contents.

Briefly, the container carrier of the present invention comprises one or more sheet-form blanks composed of flexible, somewhat elastic material having a substantial transverse rigidity and being configured for deflection into one or more circumferential or circular arrangements for supporting containers and into a manually engageable handle portion attached to the circularly arranged straps.

In one form, the carrier comprises a one-piece, sheet-form blank for providing a carrying handle on a single container unit. The blank of that embodiment has a medial handle strap and a pair of equal lengthed, straps extending in opposite directions and at right angles to the handle strap from opposite ends thereof. By deflecting and joining the container gripping straps in a circular arrangement with the handle strap disposed diametrically of the circular arrangement, a convenient single unit carrier is provided.

It is also contemplated to provide a blank formable into a multiple unit container carrier. That blank has a generally T-shaped configuration with the stem of the T forming a handle strap portion and having a first container gripping strap extending at right angles to the handle strap at one end portion thereof and in one direction and a second container gripping strap extend ing in the opposite direction. By utilizing a pair of the blanks and forming one of the container gripping straps with a length slightly greater than the circumference of a container to be gripped and the other of the straps with a length slightly greater than one-half the circumference, a carrier may be formed for three containers. Also, by eliminating the second container gripping strap, a blank is formed, which when utilized in pairs, may be formed into a two-unit carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a single-unit container carrier embodying the features of the present invention and illustrated as attached to a typical container shown by dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a sheet-form blank for the container carrier illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a two unit container carrier embodying the features of the present invention and illustrated as attached to a pair of typical containers shown by dashed lines;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a three unit container carrier embodying the features of the present invention and illustrated as attached to three typical containers shown by dashed lines; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a sheet-form blank for the container carrier illustrated in FIG. 4 with a dashed line showing the manner in which that blank may be modified to provide a blank for the container carrier illustrated in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, a single unit container carrier 10, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, is shown as attached to a cylindrical container 11 having a peripheral enlargement, lip or bead 12. The container 11 may contain a packaged product, such as coffee, paint, etc., where the packager or retailer desires to provide a conveniently attachable handle portion for facilitating transport and use of the product, or the container may be an empty can, wherein the handle portion converts an otherwise useless empty can into a convenient carrier for tools, miscellaneous items and the like.

In accordance with the present invention, the carrier blank deflectable into the carrier 10 is stamped or otherwise formed of a flexible, somewhat elastic material having substantial transverse rigidity, such as reinforced cardboard, rigid polyvinyl chloride and the like. The blanks may be individually formed by a molding or casting process or cut from a sheet of material. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the one-piece blank has a generally right angle, Z-shaped configuration and is characterized by a medial handle strap portion 13 and a pair of container-gripping arms or straps l4 and 16. The straps l4 and 16 extend in opposite directions from either end portion and the handle strap 13 and are formed at right angles thereto. Each of the strap portions 13, I4 and 16 has a rectangular configuration in transverse cross section.

In use, each of the container-gripping straps 14 and 16 is deflected into a semi-circular configuration with the free or distal ends 17 and 18, respectively of the straps l4 and 16, attached to the handle portion 13 adjacent the juncture of the handle portion and the other one of the container-gripping straps. Thus, the pair of straps 14 and 16 are serially disposed about the circumference ofa circle having a diameter substantially equal to that of the container 11 to be supported and at least less than that of the lip or bead 12. With the carrier 10 so assembled, the handle strap 13 extends diametrally of the container-gripping straps l4 and 16 and has a length sized to form a convenient, bowed, manually engageable handle for the container 11. It should be noted that the dimensions of most all cylindrical containers of a given size, e.g. pint, quart, gallon are standard and the carrier 10 is sized to fit one standard container size.

In order to enable convenient assembly of the blank into the carrier 10, each of the container-gripping straps 14 and 16 has a tab 19 formed at the distal end thereof and connected thereto by a reduced neck portion 21. An appropriately shaped aperture 22 formed in either end of the handle strap portion 13 is sized to receive the reduced neck portion 21 while retaining the associated tab 19 when the carrier is assembled, as illustrated in FIG. 1, thereby maintaining the carrier in its assembled relationship. As illustrated in the drawings, the apertures 22 may have a generally triangular configuration, and the tabs 19 may be chamfered as at 23 to facilitate the insertion of the tabs through the apertures when the carrier is being assembled.

Preferably, the tabs 19 are inserted into the apertures 22 so that they are disposed on the inside of the circular arrangement and thus engage an underneath surface of the peripheral enlargement or bead 12 formed at the top of the container 11. Thus, when the container is lifted by means of the handle strap 13, the tabs 19 engage the peripheral enlargement or lip 12 and tend to pivot the container-gripping straps 14 and 16 to cause the portions of the straps in the region midway between their ends to grippingly engage the sidewall of the container ll.

It is also contemplated by the present invention to provide a two-unit carrier 25 and a three-unit carrier 26, as respectively illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The multiple unit carriers 25 and 26 are each composed ofa pair of sheet-form blanks.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, one of the pair of identical blanks 27 for the three-unit carrier 26 comprises a sheet-form member having a generally T-shaped configuration and including a handle strap portion 28 formed as the stem of the T, a first container-gripping strap 29 extending at right angles from one end of the handle strap portion and a second container-gripping strap 31 formed as an extension of the first strap and disposed on an opposite side of the handle strap portion. In a manner similar to that of the single-unit embodiment, the blank 27 may be composed of any suitable, flexible, somewhat elastic material having a substantial transverse rigidity to enable the carriers to support substantial loads, such as would be present with a filled paint can.

In practice, the handle straps 28 of the pair of blanks 27 are innerconnected to join the pair of blanks. A circular support arrangement for the central one of the three containers 11 is formed by attaching the distal end 32 of each of the second container-gripping straps 31 of each blank 27 to the opposite blank at a position in a region 33 formed by the juncture of the three strap portions 28, 29 and 31. Thus, the length of the second container gripping strap 31 is at least as great as onehalf the circumference of the can or container 11 to be supported by the carrier 26. The two outer containers 1] are supported in a circular loop formed by deflecting the first container-gripping strap 29 and attaching the distal ends 34 thereof to their associated blanks in the region 33.

Means for conveniently fastening the blanks27 in an assembled relationship comprise appropriately disposed apertures and tabs formed integrally with the blanks. In particular, each one of the strap portions 28, 29 and 31 have a tab 36 formed at the outer or distal ends of the straps and connected thereto by reduced neck portions 37. A rectangular aperture 38 formed in the blank 27 in the juncture region 33 is sized to receive two of the neck portions 37, namely the neck portion 37 of the first container-gripping strap 29 associated with the blank and the neck portion 37 of the second-container gripping strap of the other one of the pair of blanks 27. A triangular aperture 39 formed substantially midway along the handle strap 28 receives the neck portion 37 formed on the handle strap of the other one of the pair of blanks, so that the outer end portions of the pair of handle straps are overlapped when assembled.

Also, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the blank 27, as illustrated in FIG. 5, may be modified by removing the second container-gripping straps 31 along the dashed line 41, thereby to provide a blank for forming the two-unit container carrier 25, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The carrier 25 is formed by joining the handle straps 28 of a pair of the modified blanks and then deflecting the first container-gripping strap portion 29 of each of the pair of modified blanks into a circular support loop. In order to retain the deflected straps 29 in their circular arrangement and to join the pair of modified blanks in the juncture region of the two circular support loops, the taps 36 formed at the distal ends 34 of each of the second-container gripping straps 29 is passed through both of the aligned apertures 38 formed in each of the blanks.

Although those versed in the art may suggest various minor modifications, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carrier for a generally cylindrical container of the type having an outwardly projecting, peripheral enlargement or lip, said carrier comprising:

means forming a one-piece, sheet-form member having a medial handle strap and a pair of containergripping strap por-tions extending in opposite directions from either end por-tion of said medial strap at generally right angles with respect thereto and each having a distal end opposite the end connected to the medial strap;

integral interengaging attachment means detachably attaching said distal end of each of said containergripping strap to an end of said medial handle strap adjacent said connected end of the other one of said container-gripping straps, thereby to form said container gripping straps in a circular closed loop for grippingly engaging a container, with said handle strap being disposed substantially diametrally of the closed loop and extending as an upward are from one end of said diameter to the other.

2. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by each of said container-gripping straps being of substantially equal length and each having a length slightly greater than one-half of a circumference of a container to be carried.

3. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said intergral interengaging attachment means comprising tab portions connected to said distal end of each said container-gripping strap by a reduced neck portion, and a pair of apertures formed in the opposite end portions of said medial handle strap and sized to receive said neck portion while retaining the tab to maintain said sheet-form member in the assembled relationship. 5 

1. A carrier for a generally cylindrical container of the type having an outwardly projecting, peripheral enlargement or lip, said carrier comprising: means forming a one-piece, sheet-form member having a medial handle strap and a pair of container-gripping strap por-tions extending in opposite directions from either end por-tion of said medial strap at generally right angles with respect thereto and each having a distal end opposite the end connected to the medial strap; integral interengaging attachment means detachably attaching said distal end of each of said container-gripping strap to an end of said medial handle strap adjacent said connected end of the other one of said container-gripping straps, thereby to form said container gripping straps in a circular closed loop for grippingly engaging a container, with said handle strap being disposed substantially diametrally of the closed loop and extending as an upward arc from one end of said diameter to the other.
 2. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by each of said container-gripping straps being of substantially equal length and each having a length slightly greater than one-half of a circumference of a container to be carried.
 3. A carrier as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said intergral interengaging attachment means comprising tab portions connected to said distal end of each said container-gripping strap by a reduced neck portion, and a pair of apertures formed in the opposite end portions of said medial handle strap and sized to receive said neck portion while retaining the tab to maintain said sheet-form member in the assembled relationship. 